Crime-free ordinance infringes on liberty

It's easy to take our rights for granted and be complacent. The Cedar Rapids City Council has passed the first reading for a new housing code, Chapter 29, which includes a mandatory crime-free agreement and lease addendum. On the surface, who wouldn't want a crime-free agreement?

However, the ordinance as proposed has many unintended consequences that are not clearly understood by many. Some of these are:

l Landlords must be responsible not only for their tenants behavior, but also “other people affiliated with the resident” at the property and also “within 1,000 feet of the specified property.”

l A single violation could be good cause for termination of the lease.

l Landlords must evict a tenant regardless of whether the tenant has been convicted of a crime or not.

l A landlord who fails to comply and evict the tenant under a repeat violation risks the right to rent all properties owned or managed.

l A requirement for landlord licensing with unknown responsibility and accountability for the city of Cedar Rapids.

Our country was based on the constitutional rights of due process of law and innocent until proven guilty. Under Chapter 29, tenants are considered guilty until proven innocent, a single domestic dispute may leave an innocent spouse and child without a home, a tenant may not report to the proper authority a crime in order to avoid eviction, and a tenant and landlord may receive punishment for a behavior out of their control.

A vote against the proposed Chapter 29 and Crime Free Agreement is not a vote in favor of crime. It is a vote to preserve our liberty and justice for all.

Sheryl Jahnel

Licensed Real Estate Agent

Cedar Rapids